May 3

“And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’.”   —MATTHEW 3:17

Jesus was 30 years old when He began His ministry. Before that He was a carpenter for probably about 15 years, and before that a boy growing up with His mother and siblings in Nazareth. When it was time, Jesus went down to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist. As soon as He came up out of the water the skies opened up and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended upon Him. A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

What was it about Jesus that pleased God? He hadn’t preached a sermon yet, nor performed any miracles or chosen His disciples. God was pleased that as a boy, and then as a carpenter, Jesus had lived in love for His Father, dependent on Him and obedience to Him. In whatever Jesus did; kicking a ball around with friends, His work as a carpenter and interaction with others, we would have seen what God was like. There was not a departmentalization in His life that said, ‘this is from heaven’ and ‘this is from earth.’ Every part of His life He lived in union with his Father.

The only thing we know Jesus said as a boy was, “Don’t you know that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2.49). It was this spirit in which Jesus grew up that pleased the Father. We, too, are invited to live this integrated life with Christ by a faith in Him that says, “Lord, I trust You, and I want to be about your business.” 

Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” This means that what pleases God is only that which is derived from faith. What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Essentially, it is believing in something that works on our behalf. In Jesus Christ we have both the confidence of His working in our lives and the assurance of everlasting life with Him. The relationship He shared with His Father as a man on earth is the same relationship He wants to share with us. It is men, women and children who love Him, trust Him and live in dependency on Him and obedience to Him, so the effect of their lives will have its origin in Him…. that’s what pleases God.

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, Just as You pleased your Father as a man on earth, it is my heartfelt desire to please You. I pray that I live all my days in an ever growing and deepening relationship with You. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: How is my relationship with Christ? Are there areas I need His help with?